Automatic vehicle-brake.



No. 775,298. PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904. O. A. HARRIS.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Attornegs Patented November 22, 1904.

UNITED STATES ATENT UFFTCE.

CHARLES A. HARRIS, OF MASSENA, IO\VA.

AUTOMATIC VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 775,298, dated November22, 1904.

Application filed January 15, 1904. Serial No. 189,104. No model.)

To a]? whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, (humans A. HARRIs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Massena, in the county of Cass and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Automatic Vehicle -Brake, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to vehicles, and has for its object to provide animproved apparatus of this character which is automatically controlledby the draft-animals and is capable of being applied to any ordinaryrunning-gear without altering or changing the same in any mannerwhatsoever. It is furthermore designed to have the present apparatuscooperate with any ordinary or preferred form of brake-beam tofacilitate the connection of the apparatus with the draft-animals and toprovide for locking the device in an inoperative position, so as toprevent application of the brake when backing the vehicle.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a running-gear provided withthe brake apparatus of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view on theline 3 8 of Fig. 1. Fig. a is a detail perspective view of thecontrolling-levers for connection with the harness of the draft-animals.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

For an adequate illustration of the application and operation of myinvention I have shown an ordinary running-gear, including front andrear axles l and 2, which are connected, by the usual reach 3, with atongue or pole 4, projected from the front axle. Any

are carried by the rear axle, with front and rear bolsters 6 and 7,carried by therespective axles. Any suitable form of brake-beam 8 issupported upon the rear hounds and provided with brake-shoes 9 forengagement with the rear wheels.

The parts thus far described are common and well known, and as they formno part of the present improvements they may be considerably varied inform without affecting the operation of the present brake-controllingmeans.

In carrying out the present invention 1 cmploy a relatively shortrock-bar 10, mounted upon the rear hounds immediately in front of therear axle, and from an intermediate portion of this rock-bar depends anarm 11, with another arm, 12, rising from an intermediate portion of therock-bar. A suitable connecting-rod 13 connects the lower arm 11 withthe brake-beam 8, and a spring 14 is interposed between the rear bolster7 and the upstanding arm 12 to normally pull said arm rearwardly, andthereby maintain the brake-shoes inactive.

Connection is had between the rock-bar and the controling means at thefront end of the pole through the medium of a connection made up offront and rear connecting-rods 15 and 16, respectively, which areconnected through the front bolster by means of front and rearchain-sections l7 and 18 and a slidable rackbar 19, mounted to workendwise in an opening formed through the front bolster, as indicated inFig. 2 of the drawings, at one side and adjacent to the king-bolt. Therear end of the rear connecting-rod 16 is pivotally connected to theupper end of the arm 12 of the rock-bar.

Upon the rear side of the front bolster there is a vertically -swinginglatch member 20, which is terminally pivoted to the bolster, as at 21,with its free end extended to form an arm 22, having its outer endprojected upwardly to form a handle 23, which lies alongside of one ofthe stakes 2% of the bolster and thereby in position for convenientmanipulation by the driver of the vehicle to drop the latch intoengagement with the rack-bar 19,

' suitable or preferred form of rear hounds 5 5 so as to lock thecontrolling means in an inl operative position of the brake to preventapplication thereof when backing.

Upon the forward extremity of the pole 4: there is a cross-head orcross-bar 2.5, which lies across the top of the pole and is rigidlysecured thereto by means of a suitable clip or clamp 26, each extremityof the bar or crosshead being inclined forwardly, as at 27, with alongitudinal slot 28 in each inclined terminal. Duplicate levers 29 arepivotally supported at their middles upon bolts 30, which pierce thelevers and are slidable in the respective slots 28, the outer end ofeach lever being provided with a ring 31 for connection with thebreast-strap and holdback-strap of the harness. The inner end of eachlever is provided with an upwardly ofiset portion 32, which is looselyconnected to the front connecting-rod 15 by a link 33, the upwardly ofl'set portion 32 serving to support the links above the cross head or bar25 and prevent frictional contact therewith when working across thesame.

In the operation of the brake the breaststrap and holdback-straps havingbeen connected to the rings 31 at the outer ends of the levers 29 andthe latch 20 disengaged from the rack-bar, any forward thrust of thedrafttongueas, for instance, when the vehicle is descending thehill-will tend to swing the inner ends of the levers forwardly as theirouter ends are held relatively fixed by the breast-strap andholdback-straps, whereby the connection between the levers and therockbar 10 will be moved forwardly, thereby rocking the rock-bar in adirection to exert a rearward pull upon the connecting-rod 13, which isconnected to the brake-beam 8, and thereby drawing the brake-shoes intoengagement with the rear wheel. As soon as the forward thrust of thedraft-pole is relieved, the spring 14 acts to automatically return theseveral parts of the controlling apparatus to their original positions,thereby drawing the brake-shoes away from the wheels,and hence releasingthe brake.

It is of course apparent that the brake will be applied when backing;but this difiiculty can be overcome by engaging the latch 20 with therack-bar 19, so as to lock the controlling apparatus in an inactiveposition.

The purpose of the chains 17 and 18 is to includeflexible elements inthe connection between the controlling-levers and the rock-bar, so as toaccommodate for the turning of the front axle without binding of any ofthe parts of the connection, thereby insuring a prompt and effectiveoperation of the apparatus.

An important feature of the present apparatus resides in theforwardly-inclined disposition of the terminals of the cross-head orcross-bar 25, with the fulcrums of the levers working in slots in saidinclined terminals, whereby the levers are permitted to slide for- 1wardly during the application of the brake, and thereby maintain theproper tension upon the traces, so as to obviate looseness thereofduring the application of the brake.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination of a cross-bar forconnection with the pole of the vehicle, horizontal swinging leversfulcrumed intermediately upon the crossbar, and a connecting-rod securedto the inner ends of the levers.

2. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a cross-bar forapplication to a draft-pole, the ends of the cross-bar being inclinedforwardly and provided with longitudinal slots in the inclinedterminals, horizontal swinging levers having intermediate fulcrumsslidable in the respective slots of the cross-bar, and a connecting-rodsecured to the inner ends of the levers.

3. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with brake-shoes, of across-bar for application to a draft-pole, a pair of horizontal swinginglevers fulcrumed upon the crossbar with their ends offset upwardly, anda connecting-rod for operating the brake-shoes and connected to theoffset ends of the levers.

4c. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a running-gearincluding a draftpole, and a brake-beam carrying brake-shoes, of arock-bar carried by the running-gear and connected to the brake-beam, aspring connected to the rock-bar to normally hold the brake beaminactive, a cross bar mounted upon the draft-pole, horizontal swinginglevers fulcrumed upon the ends of the crossbar, and a connecting-rodextending bet-ween the inner ends of the levers and the rock-bar.

5. In an automatic vehicle-brake, the combination with a running-gearincluding a draftpole, and a brake-beam carrying brake-shoes, of arock-bar connected to the brake-beam, a spring to normally hold thebrake-beam inactive, a cross-bar carried by the pole, horizontalswinging levers intermediately fulcrumed upon the ends of the cross-bar,a rear connecting-rod engaged with the rock-bar, a front connecting-rodengaged with the inner ends of the levers, a rack-bar slidable acrossthe front bolster of the running-gear, link connections between therack-bar and the front and rear connecting-rods, and a latch carried bythe front bolster in position for engagement with the rack-bar to lockthe brake.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

(JHARLES A. HARRIS.

WVitnesses:

EVA F. HARRIs, GILBERT M. HARRIS.

